Key Challenges and Opportunities for Cloud Technology in Health Care: Semistructured Interview Study

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Cloud Computing
• Digital Health Transformation

Background:

• Cloud computing presents significant opportunities for data-driven innovation in healthcare.
• Despite potential benefits, many healthcare organizations lag in adopting cloud technologies for data storage and processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore challenges and barriers hindering cloud computing adoption in healthcare settings.
• To investigate strategies for addressing perceived risks associated with cloud technology implementation in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative case study was conducted in healthcare settings.
• In-depth, semistructured interviews were performed with 23 individuals across the cloud technology supply chain.
• Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews was performed using NVivo 12, guided by a sociotechnical coding framework.

Main Results:

• Key barriers identified include high data migration costs, skill gaps, cultural resistance to external hosting, lack of visible benefits for frontline users, and absence of interoperability standards and central regulations.
• A shared vision exists for a cloud-enabled ecosystem driven by data innovation among diverse stakeholders.
• Participants represented major cloud providers, healthcare organizations, software vendors, and academic institutions.

Conclusions:

• Successful cloud implementation in healthcare necessitates a digitally enabled service transformation approach.
• Focusing on skill development, organizational change management, and user engagement is crucial for maximizing returns on investment.
• Viewing cloud adoption as a strategic transformation, rather than just a technological upgrade, is essential.